Artificial turf is a great way to achieve an attractive garden with minimal maintenance required. Today's modern products mean that you can obtain all of the appearance of real grass but with stronger resistance to weather and everyday wear and tear, and this means that it is ideal for all kinds of gardens and outdoor spaces.

With no need for watering, it is also porous meaning that water will not collect on the surface during rainy periods. If you are keen on DIY you may want to save money by installing the artificial grass yourself, so here, we look at the best installation method.

What Tools Are Required For DIY Installation?

Artificial Grass

Digging tools

Builder's sand

A club hammer

A craft knife

Weed control fabric

Brush

Jointing tape

Protective gloves

How To Prepare Your Garden

When preparing your garden for the installation of artificial turf you need to remove any existing turf. While this can be achieved with a spade if you only have a small garden, you may benefit from hiring a turf cutter if you have a large area that requires clearing. Remove around 40mm for the best results.

Next, add a layer of builder's sand up to a depth of 35mm. This will form a base for the turf. Compact the builder's sand evenly across the surface to ensure that it is level, forming a firm base upon which to fit the artificial grass. You can do this by using a heavy hammer and builder's plank and then smooth out the sand's surface.

Remember that mounds and gentle slopes are fine - the ground does not need to be completely flat. Finally, add a layer of weed membrane on top of the sand layer. Ensure the joints overlap by 300mm.

Laying The Artificial Turf

Once the area is prepared, roll out the artificial grass over the prepared surface. Lay it with its pile leaning towards your house as this will make your grass have a more natural, fuller look when you look out of your windows. Cover the area, making sure the rolls' ends are staggered as you don't want them to end in a straight line.

Use a craft knife to trim the edges of the rolls. Lay down the rolls next to each other and make sure that no blades of grass are caught in between.

Check to make sure that each roll is laid in the same direction and that all blades of grass are pointing in the same direction.

Fixing Down The Grass

Once all of the rolls are rolled out, you need to glue them together using jointing tape (with the rough side up). Spread the tape long the space where the rolls will join, put adhesive on the tape and then place the rolls' edges on the tape ensuring that none of the blades of grass are touching the glue.

Once you have joined the rolls, ruffle up the fibres of the grass where the joints meet as this will disguise where they are sealed. Fix the edges of the grass rolls to the ground using ground pins at every 20 cm. Again, you should ruffle the blades of grass that are over the pin heads as this will help to disguise them.

Finally, use a stiff brush to brush the grass pile. This will make it look natural and much fuller.